BELLS ARE RINGING

BELLS ARE RINGING

Christmas bells started ringing early for the Catholic League this year. Indeed, just three days into November, we heard the call and swung into action. The next day, we scored our first victory.

Initially, there was to be no Christmas Tree on the Capitol lawn in Frankfort, Kentucky. That’s because the word “Christmas” was deemed offensive. So to placate the diversity dons, the authorities opted instead for a “Holiday Tree.” The official line was that the “Holiday Tree” is inclusive of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s. We couldn’t help saying, however, that no one has ever heard of a “Thanksgiving Tree,” “Hanukkah Tree” or “New Year’s Tree.”

Naturally, we blanketed the media with our objections. The next day, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, after getting pounded, decided to pivot. He declared that in 2009 the Christmas Tree would actually be called the “Christmas Tree.” Chalk up a victory for Santa and sanity.

Though there has been a Christmas parade in Amelia, Ohio, for three decades, there won’t be one this year. That’s because the village changed the name to the “Holiday Parade,” though it did not say what holiday was being celebrated. Nor will there be a nativity scene on a public median in Warren, Michigan, even though there has been one there since World War II. In Olympia, Washington, religious displays have been banned inside municipal buildings. But outside the buildings, it is okay.